Monday, March 5, 2012

Rosie Prepares Artichokes.

Daughter Hawthorne and I are having stuffed artichokes for lunch.

I opened up my artichoke,
scraped out the choke,
poured a little melted butter over the heart,
and topped the whole with toasted homemade croutons
and a mixture of chopped tomatoes,
lemon juice and zest, and parsley.

How does one prepare an artichoke?

First one pulls off the lower leaves.

Then one slices off the top.

And one trims the pointy little leaves.

I like to add a little white wine in my water.

Plop a couple of lemons in the boil.

Set the artichokes in, cover, and simmer about 50 minutes,
or until the outside leaves pull off easily.

I'm making croutons for the artichokes.
First I baked a Schwann's baguette.
From the garden,
I picked parsley, thyme, oregano, and sage.

Mince the herbs and ...

... add them along with the pulled bread scraps
to a hot pan with about 1/2 stick melted butter
and a few swirls of ELBOO.
That's Extra Light Bertolli Olive Oil!

Toss and swirl to slightly brown.

Place on a baking sheet
and put in a low oven - 250 degrees.
Bake until crispy, crunchy, and golden.
(That's the before shot.)

Two peeled Roma tomatoes
Juice and zest of one lemon
Variegated lemon thyme